Abby Lee Miller's Battle With Cancer
- Abby Lee Miller battled a rare kind of cancer called Burkitt lymphoma in 2018 after experiencing pain in the back of her neck.
Burkitt lymphoma, according to the National Cancer Institute, is a type of aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma that often starts in people’s organs. - Miller has been wheelchair-bound since her first spinal cord surgery later that year and claims her time spent in prison led to her paralysis as she had to stop her thyroid and diabetes medication “cold turkey,” she said in a recent podcast interview.
- A cancer diagnosis, whether it’s confirmed or a misdiagnosis, can be an emotional experience for patients and their loved ones. SurvivorNet experts recommend getting a second opinion during these challenging moments to ensure cancer has been detected and explore early treatment options.
- Advocating for your own health can lead to better patient outcomes. Sometimes, this includes going back to your doctor multiple times or seeking additional opinions from different doctors.
Miller, who founded “Abby Lee Dance Company” and “Reign Dance Productions, was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma (an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma) in 2018 after experiencing pain in the back of her neck following her prison sentence. She’s had chemotherapy and numerous surgeries for treatment as she continues on her road to recovery, but she wonders if doctors had discovered what was wrong with her sooner, maybe she could have prevented being wheelchair bound.
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As for how her prison experience went, Miller said the enjoyable part was that she “read 150 books and lost 120 pounds” and made some friends.
However, with regard to her health, Miller said she thought she had a “sinus infection” when she got out of prison. Her doctor, spine surgeon Dr. Hooman Melamed, who also spoke on Frankel’s podcast this month, said the prison “kept blowing her off” and allegedly dismissing her symptoms.
Her doctor explained, looking back on how Miller came to him a few weeks after coming out of prison, “She WAS having issues, some thyroid issues, they kept blowing her off and she was having neck pain, and they kept saying she was doing this on purpose.
“Then she came to me with excruciating neck pain on a Friday and I told her we need an MRI right now but she couldn’t lay down, so we admitted her.”
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He noted that when she was ready to get the MRI, she couldn’t lay down and needed sedation due to the pain. Days later, the doctor recalled Miller starting to feel something unusual in her extremities.
“By Monday morning, literally overnight, she starts losing function … she went from walking, everything, on Friday, Saturday, to Sunday losing function.”
He then suggested her to have an invasive CT scan, but she ultimately needed emergency surgery which they thought was due to a spinal infection, but she ended up being diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, a type of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Miller said she was in the hospital for seven days before being transferred “on a gurney, laying down to California Rehabilitation Institute” when she was “paralyzed from the waist down.”
She concluded, “Here’s the deal .. I went from prison to the half-way house. I was there for one week and this happened. But before I saw Dr. Melamed, I went to six doctors in 10 days (after seeing doctors in prison), who said ‘go home honey and take it easy, you’ll be fine.'”
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Miller said another doctor said, “I think you’re in a thyroid storm because you were taken off your thyroid diabetes medication cold turkey,” adding, “She said I’ve never seen blood work like this, it’s nuts.”
She complained that maybe if she was sent to the hospital from the urgent care maybe she wouldn’t be in a wheelchair today.
As for why she’s paralyzed, Miller explained it was because “the spinal cord was damaged.”
In an earlier Instagram post, from April 17, 2019, Miller looked back on her cancer journey by sharing a photo of the scar on her back.
She wrote alongside the image, “One year ago today ~ I underwent emergency surgery for an infection in my spine. This mass/tumor choking my spinal cord turned out to be Burkitt Lymphoma. I endured ten rounds of chemo therapy (each lasting 6 days with 4/ 24hr bags pumping poison into my body ending with a spinal tap in 3 spots, plus another shot of Chemo into my tailbone area up the spinal cord around my brain cavity) Ten times!
“Another spine surgery was needed & I have one more still to go. I struggled thru months of physical therapy to learn to sit up again, to crawl and maybe with a miracle someday I’ll walk. Why didn’t the ER Doctors on duty do their jobs? I came in twice with the same symptoms? Why didn’t somebody listen to me, the patient? I finally found the right team that’s why I lived to tell my story, I have a lot to say!”
She concluded, “Thank you to all wonderful top notch professionals who continue to help me heal. For those who missed it, misdiagnosed me, and the so called Federal “Doctor” who took me off medication cold turkey and the other ER “Doctor Hollywood” who told me to go home and take it easy for 10 days – STOP practicing! Please.”
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Abby Lee Miller’s Health Journey
Abby Lee Miller was diagnosed with a rare kind of cancer called Burkitt lymphoma in 2018 after experiencing pain in the back of her neck. Burkitt lymphoma, according to the National Cancer Institute, is a type of aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma that often starts in people’s organs.
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Miller has had numerous surgeries and chemotherapy for cancer treatment. She also underwent emergency surgery after shattering her tibia-fibula in a swimming pool and keeps struggling with broken bones after “10 rounds of very invasive chemotherapy” left her bones “very brittle.”
“Sometimes, I feel fabulous, other times I’m in a lot of pain,” she told The U.S. Sun in a 2023 interview. “My back is chronic it hurts constantly where the surgery was.”
In May 2019, it was determined that Miller was cancer-free and she began making good progress in her recovery.
But despite all the hardship, Miller is working toward her health goals. She’s currently in physical and occupational therapy in the hopes of ditching the wheelchair and reverting back to using a walker, which she used prior to her tibia-fibula incident.
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“Even though I’m paraplegic and I’m in the wheelchair, I am not letting it hold me back,” she said.
Life after active treatment for any cancer may look different than it did prior to your diagnosis. In a previous interview with medical oncologist Dr. Michael Jain of the Moffitt Cancer Center, we learned “there are a number of different things that people may experience in the late-term period” after successful treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
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“Depending on the age of the patient when they’re diagnosed with their cancer, or the other health issues that are going on, sometimes the functional status, or what people are able to do, is not quite what it was before the cancer,” Dr. Jain explained.
Some survivorship issues can include things like peripheral neuropathy as well as chemo brain or cognitive issues. But, unfortunately, post-treatment concerns don’t stop there.
“One of the things we focus on is trying to prevent secondary cancers,” Dr. Jain said. “Although the chemotherapy often did a very good job in terms of curing the initial cancer, there is sometimes a risk of secondary cancer happening.
“And so patients should be watched for that and also should be aware that other cancers may occur.”
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment and Beyond
That’s why it’s important for cancer survivors to come up with a survivorship plan that includes a schedule for follow-up exams and tests as well as screenings for any new cancers. But, remember, everyone’s case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is different. There are so many different types of the disease, and one person’s recovery from treatment can look vastly different from another person’s.
“Patients, once they finish their therapy, are often quite well,” Dr. Jain said. “If they have not had too many complications from their therapy, they are often able to go back to many of the same things that they did before they had their diagnosis of cancer and are able to live full and complete lives.”
If you’re struggling with life after cancer treatment, know you’re not alone. Don’t hesitate to talk to doctors, a therapist, family, friends or a support group if you’re struggling with how life has changed since your diagnosis.
Advocating for Your Health
Patients advocating for their health can lead to better patient outcomes. This is especially important when your doctor has dismissed your symptoms — or you feel your diagnosis may be off.
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A component of advocating for yourself in healthcare includes going back to the doctor multiple times and even getting multiple opinions.
Dr. Steven Rosenberg is the National Cancer Institute Chief of Surgery, and he previously told SurvivorNet about the advantages of getting input from multiple doctors.
WATCH: The value of getting a second opinion.
“If I had any advice for you following a cancer diagnosis, it would be, first, to seek out multiple opinions as to the best care. Because finding a doctor who is up to the latest information is important,” Dr. Rosenberg said.
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Furthermore, getting another opinion may also help you avoid doctor biases. For example, some surgeons own radiation treatment centers.
“So there may be a conflict of interest if you present to a surgeon that is recommending radiation because there is some ownership of that type of facility,” Dr. Jim Hu, director of robotic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center, told SurvivorNet.
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Other reasons to get a second opinion include:
- To see a doctor who has more experience treating your type of cancer
- If you have a rare type of cancer
- If you feel like your doctor isn’t listening to you, or isn’t giving you good advice
- If you have trouble understanding your doctor
- If you don’t like the treatment your doctor is recommending, or you’re worried about its possible side effects
- Your insurance company wants you to get another medical opinion
- Your cancer isn’t improving on your current treatment
Bottom line: being proactive about your health could be a matter of life or death. Learn as much as you can from as many experts as you can, so that you know that you did your best to take control of your health.
Advocating for Yourself While Navigating the Medical World
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
